"Magpie Murders" - A mystery wrapped in... a mystery!
If Agatha Christie were to write a novel in 2017 she would have written this one. This delightful mystery hits all the marks - the idiosyncratic and somewhat tragic detective, multiple motives, a love story, a well-defined and limited locale, red herrings and intriguing side plots. The clues are laid out before our eyes, but the connections are not - which is the hallmark of a good mystery: the author does not "cheat" by withholding information. The main events unfold against the unique backdrop of the rough and tumble world of literary creation and publication which is expertly woven into the plot - or I should say "plots". Some important characters are a bit underdeveloped, but overall the picture of an English village in the 1950's where everyone has a secret and someone has been murdered is finely drawn. "Magpie Murders" is balanced fun, familiar and fresh as a daisy.
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